Working alongside the Air Ambulance team, students have developed the skills and confidence needed to deliver CPR training to their peers, helping to spread this vital, life-saving knowledge across the school community.

As part of the programme, students learned the DRS ABC approach (Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR), practised compression-only CPR, and were shown how to use a defibrillator. They also gained hands-on experience using CPR training manikins, allowing them to apply their learning in realistic scenarios.

In the UK, the survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is around 10%, often due to a lack of confidence in delivering CPR. Through this initiative, The Basildon Upper Academy and the CPR Smart campaign aim to ensure that all students receive CPR training from Sixth Form ambassadors, equipping them with the skills and confidence to respond in an emergency and potentially save lives.

"It was really interesting and fascinating to learn CPR and take part in the course. I now feel ready to teach others about it." Christina.K – Year 12